Wednesday, 31 July 2013

A Quick Update

I had planned on getting some serious work done on this during the past couple of weeks...

...however, thanks to a nasty cold/flu-like bug, I've barely managed to do anything.

Anyway, now that I'm starting to feel a little better, I'm back to work on it - though I have to admit that converting my simple (sometimes cryptic) game notes into fully fledged encounter/adventure scenarios is far more work that I'd like to admit :)

That being said, the first draft of the three main encounter/adventure areas are almost complete, and work on a possible forth one has begun.

I'm also thinking of including a slightly reworked version of Mathgar Ruins in the booklet (with better maps etc.) ...as an added bonus - though I'm not sure if this might be mistaken as an underhanded way of increasing the product's page count with content that's already available for free (even though it's inclusion would have absolutely no impact on the cost of the product whatsoever) ...so the jury is still out on that one.

And that's about it for now, though I will add that I'd be intrigued to know if anyone would be interested in doing some additional play-testing of these encounters (with their own gaming group - using the Age of Shadow RPG) ...and if so would a free pdf copy of the final product (along with a play-testers credit - if desired) be adequate compensation for your time?

5 comments:

I submitted some ideas at the Age of Shadow wiki some time ago. One of them was Shadow Elves. At the end of the document, I suggested the possible aversion to light. I'd just like some feedback (to all those RPG-ers out there) on the Shadow Elf data. I'll include it here for convenience:

One thing I forgot to mention, was the possible aversion to light they might have.Shadow Elves begin their raids, etc about dusk, but feel more comfortable when the sun sets.If they are exposed to light (the Light spell for example), two things could possibly happen:1: all actions are at -10%, -15%, or -20% for 1-2 turns, maybe even 3 turns.2: They are blinded for 1-2 or possibly 3 turns, making them vulnerable.

If you're looking to include a separate drow-like race ...then the rules you've suggested seem well suited to doing just that. But if you're looking for other options to simulate their 'light sensitivity' you could keep it very similar to what you have now ...but maybe include a Resilience save? ...and have a success result in no penalty, a failure result in a -25% penalty, and a fumble result in temporary blindness.

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However, my own take on dark elves in the AoS setting (though I prefer your 'shadow elves' term much better :) ), would be those individual elves that have succumbed to the will of the dark powers (perhaps as a result of studying foul magics, being ensnared in some evil which they cannot escape, or having their own will so utterly broken so that they are little more than ruined & corrupted mockeries of their former selves) - a good example of which would be 'the dark elf of Rengast' from the East Eyrie booklet.

In game terms these would be regular elves that possess a corruption level that has exceeded their POW score (rather than being a race apart) - though outward signs of their 'corruption' will be plain to see (a haggard countenance and hunched posture for example). To put it in familiar terms ...a lot of fantasy settings hint at the fact that orcs were bred from corrupted elves (or something very similar) ...in the Age of Shadow these 'dark elves' would be very much alike to those first ruined elves.

So (in my own head), dark elves would be very few in number at the current time, and be particularly despised by others of their kind. In addition they might also rise to positions of power within the ranks of the enemy - making them ideal BBEG material :)

But, as I say, that's just my take on 'dark elves' within the Age of Shadow setting ...so folks should feel free to use/ignore it as they see fit :)